How to Achieve Six Sigma Effectiveness
The term Six Sigma is based on a statistical idea of how far something is from perfection. This is the idea behind any organization that employs this quality management process. Six Sigma effectiveness is about looking at your business or product and thinking about how it can be improved. This could be by improving the product itself, the advertising, the way in which it is sold, or even the way in which it is manufactured. Using the right analytical methods, you can achieve this.
The Six Sigma Process is about striving to achieve perfection. Ideally, the professionals who practice this theory look to reduce the amount of problems or defects that can occur in a product or service to less than 3.4 per million opportunities. There are a number of different processes you can use to look at how to make your business or product better. These are known as quality approaches. One example of this is DFSS or Design for Six Sigma. This is the process in which a person thinks of how to meet customer expectations and to minimize defects whenever possible.
Another way of doing this is via a process called DMAIC or Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Looking at each of these aspects in turn, you can begin to see how this can make a product more efficient. You need to define any possible problems. You then need to measure how effect a product or service it is before analyzing how it can be improved, allowing you to take control of the situation and ensuring satisfied customers.
There are also a number of quality tools within this Methodology that you can use to ensure that the targets you have set your business are met. One example is a control chart. This is where you look at the different aspects of the same product, or in Six Sigma Terms, the variance within a product. Each variance can potentially affect a business in a positive or negative way and it is important to carefully consider the right course of action to maximize any positive impact and to minimize any negative impact. It is important to minimize variance, as customers expect their product or service to be the same every time they purchase it. They also want their product to be the same as anyone else who might also choose to purchase the same product.
This often involves identifying the causes of potential problems in order to deal with them. A Pareto Diagram should show you how to achieve this. This diagram is based on the theory that 80 percent of the problems that a company has to deal with often come from 20 percent of sources. Therefore, you need to find the root cause of those problems in order to make a business more efficient.
Illustrating these processes is a good way of increasing efficiency. Process Mapping is a way of analyzing procedures in order to test them from strengths and weaknesses. Statistical Process Control allows you to do this in the form of data that can be studied in order to see how it affects performance. A good way of making your business practice more effectively is by using a Tree Diagram. This is where you break down a larger goal into smaller targets that are more easily achieved. Over time, this makes it easier to achieve the larger long term goal.
These tools and theories (and many others) are all taught and mastered during Six Sigma Training before a candidate can earn their Six Sigma Certification. In short, Six Sigma effectiveness comes from analyzing situations and learning how to adapt to potential difficulties. It can help you to achieve your business goals both in the short and long term.